Saturday, May 31, 2025

creatively speaking--- watching paint dry, a quilt grows on the design wall, learning from others

 

This was a full week of creation, inspiration from color outside, inspiration from a stitch workshop, morning color work in paint, and seeing my green quilt top growing like seedlings outside.

In using scrap fabrics, I am open to possibility. How would one look against the others? I love this gentle block, but each pretty fabric plays off the others... it's one of many components now done, on the wall, waiting for a design to grow.
some detail shots
reminding myself I can insert raw edge applique anywhere 

reminding myself I can insert lines anywhere


choosing textures to set the blocks
I'm enjoying the design process but....
it really can't be rushed. I see in my mind's eye, the finished piece with applique,& long lines of stitching
mostly I spent time watching the 7 Zen Stitch videos a day this week, making nothing yet but starting this one
from the cut off triangles making the curved leaf shapes... base fabric, layers of scraps, cut off threads and trims, one flamingo motif applique from another project, a green sheer overlay, fuse and get ready to stitch with embroidery thread

another angle shows the shimmer of my green sheer, and the fringy selvedge cut and layered on bottom


the question is, will I do the instructor's prompt of thick lines of embroidery or do I like it enough to not introduce more attention seeking lines? Hers was more abstract but my use of flamingos changes it. 
It was fun to play with the tiny triangles, and shards of fabric, threads etc. 
I am hand stitching the spiral hexie in pink at night

My morning doodles have been fun! DH bought me a little paint set 
Inktense paint pan set #2 and I made this to learn how it looks

top are the pan colors alone, bottom rectangles are a blending of two colors. It is intense, one dab of water brush on the pan color and instant hue. They blend and move like they are dancing. I especially like the way the color lifted with a clean brush on the heart section, but loved how they blend. They work just as well with others.... they mix well on gouache, with ink pen etc. 
Whee!
while waking up and having coffee, I do paper art like doodling on my calendar pages



or trying something on my home made journal pages
this one was copier paper, thin, smooth and not great with wet (wateercolor) techniques... started with a sketch then called out for ink paint

the paper bled to the back...
and I kind of like the effect! I wrote my intention over it, and as you freely write ideas can come out, phrases you like, such as "power of color" which resonates with me. 
the image on the right is a small watercolor paper card I made for a friend who has an injury
I love it so much for the mix of gouache with inktense pan colors on top, the little message 
is from a page of greetings, torn out, copper paint applied around the edge. I put a dab of glue on it so the person can remove it after she heals and enjoy all that color
So I have quite a few projects to continue, I want to try some of the stitch techniques making jewelry, work on my "emerging green" quilt top, and continue my audio book (I only listen while in the studio)
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Thursday, May 29, 2025

I Like Thursday # 453 flowers, baked goods, topiary and donkeys

 

we walked in another section of the 'hood this week and I saw these large metal sculptures in one yard

they also had some kind of faux topiary... hee hee
of bunnies, LOL... look at the real one staring at it!!
saw this haircut online, I like it...


( going to chiro for nerve pinches  kept me from doing much tofday)

fine dining

a cool day, led to baking and soup making. Rain and hail all week. The soup is cabbage soup recipe from the 70's in an attempt to have lo-cal option before meals

I tried a new recipe for applesauce cake.... the author neglected to tell us if we used organic unsweetened sauce to add sugar. 

https://sugarapron.com/wprm_print/applesauce-cake-with-cinnamon-cream-cheese-frosting

cinnamon bread out of the oven, the scent was lovely

We made cinnamon bread again, yum 

 https://www.jennycancook.com/recipes/cinnamon-swirl-raisin-bread/

chewy coconut cookies, always delish

We are partial to how home made tastes that lacks so many chemicals that hurt me so we bake when we can, freeze some of it, (birthday cake in freezer)   I feel better  when we have a slice of our bread, or, ahem cake for breakfast. 

I liked seeing these chives in a flower bed, the blossoms pretty although if they were mine I'd eat them


the neck of my shirt was too large and bothering me so I put an elastic around it to gather and it worked

Donkeys and a horse

we walked over to the donkey farmette again, and the lovely owner came out to chat. 

The donkeys, are only 5 months old, male (Dusty) and female (Bunny) and came from a local breeder who seems to have questionable practice as both had LONG hooves, and there were hundreds of donkeys there all babies) 

They are miniature donkeys,  both considered long haired 

the horse is 23 and named Ben. They moved here from CA by way of Loveland CO and live on 3 1/2 acres. His wife used to be a dog groomer for 30 years, and they have a big lab. He was happy we were trying to rescue since they drove to Sante Fe to rescue their last dog from a kill shelter. 

I loved talking to him, and hope to meet his wife and son next time

I Like sewing on an improv piece in green, watching it grow on my design wall
I like adding paint to an existing painting and I like my new inktense pan set of ink...
see how the brownish leaf ink blended?


linking with 









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Saturday, May 24, 2025

Creatively speaking, watching paint dry, sewing, and inspiration


not as much to show for this week, as I made a big push to finish the workshop lessons, if not the art! 
I was inspired to paint a hibiscus shared on Cloudia in Hawaii's post last week.... not realistic but kind of impressionistic
I like the color of blue, against the lime leaves

inspiration in bloom.... one of our bushes
Flowers on my mind as I try to paint a border of them around a picture... I'll show when it's done

Starting with paint, paper and ink this week, sewing fiber work next
morning doodles was using the gouache paint left on a yogurt lid palette
my desk calendar has wee paintings like the bee, so I paint around it some fanciful flowers. flowers I will grow when and if we move to Europe, filling my yard with colors!

journal page

and now for a bit of fiber.... we all need fiber right? 
here is a hexie spiral basted designed and waiting for pretty pink thread to sew it together
this catches me up to date with the rainbow scrap challenge colors, the next one will be June's color...
the blocks in all the colors so far, fill my design wall with the addition of "red". Now we wait to see what the color of the month for June will be. 

with a day to play before May's last link party of green at RSC I got out my bin of tiny scraps and began to build a base for a garden...
I like to do improvisational sewing in organic curves. Here I'm about to add these two... 
no pinning just take a deep breath and keep your eye on the tiny seam

here it is sewn and included in the growing row


one next to another, keep going, keep building. Press seams as you go, no worry about fitting them in, you'll know what to do as you go
I had a pieced scrap with a curve so I just sewed it in, and it will go somewhere. 
lovely sight after tidying up for the end of this day's work. 
I love my little studio space. 
I love the peace I find there. 

a little hail ball that blew in from the back porch, my heart sent from Heaven

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Thursday, May 22, 2025

I Like Thursday # 452 seeds, donkeys, hail.... just another day

 

List of likes for the week... starting with a long walk around the neighborhood on the weekend. The view showed a storm brewing in the mountains.... 

Our housing development is very large, but on the edge of it are some farmettes and on this day I was drawn to the donkeys

I would like to have room for a couple donkeys. These two were across the paddock when I called out in baby talk to them. They came cantering over, and sized us up as having no treats so they resumed eating. I stood there a long time cooing at them, their ears wiggling in response. They had another friend
How beautiful!! All content and peaceful in their pasture, willing to let their spirit soothe my soul. 
We walked home from the edge of the neighborhood seeing areas we haven't walked to in a while. Then the wind began to blow, the trees bent over to it, and rain started.... 

view from the back porch/slider
then the hail came beating up the trees, our house, the windows, and filling the backyard with icy marbles. It filled the grass, then filled the chair under the porch roof
and I slid open the door to take photos and it came into the house!

we picked up some ice balls and they felt dry, firm, hard even
yes DH's hand is also dry
I saw a heart in it... I often see hearts in odd things.... so we brushed the rest out of the house, and 30 min later the rain was done. It is considered the high desert here so rain often shows up as 20 drops and gone. We had a repeat performance in a couple hours, more hail, and within a half hour done. 

we had just planted the wildflower seed, and lettuce beds


We've been watching a new show on tv about a young married couple who moved from the US to France to renovate her inherited castle.  HGTV show called Castle Impossible. Ah the young.... 

I watched these short videos on youtube


 and I love her...  (and I love this guy who has a great voice and tender heart

and

 I like puzzles.... in fact fitting things into car trunks, suitcases, and organization are all puzzles


 

I'm a big fan of  ( Debrashewhoseeks).... and this post in particular spoke to me as I age into a number that makes me cringe

https://shewhoseeks.blogspot.com/2025/05/and-now-some-good-advice-for-realz.html 

so true

painting and quilting become one



reading

every library book written by rainbow rowell and would appreciate the library not taking back books before I'm done. !


Our conversation starter this week: 
do you go to parties on Memorial day? what do you do there? How do you feel about the holiday in general and the men and women who pledge to protect us? 

I guess it's the official start of our summer season.... in fact I went out on a limb yesterday and put on white capri pants. (a small rebellion against the system)
I don't think I've ever been to a memorial day picnic or party but the absolutely gross neighbors here shoot off fireworks like they are fighting a war. 
I respect and have gratitude for those who protect us. Thank you so much. 

I only wish the world could put the money they put into wars, in conflict resolution techniques,  into training people to live together, teaching them how to negotiate, to stay within your borders, to tolerate others and handle life in a non aggressive way. 
Yep a dreamer. Doesn't stop me from being grateful for the people who protect us, as well as first responders who will no doubt have too many emergencies this weekend to deal with. 

My blog, my opinions. 
Tell me how you'd answer the question.

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